LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Television host Piers Morgan became a father for the fourth time on Friday after his wife gave birth to a baby girl, Morgan announced on Twitter.

"It's true. I've become a dad for the 4th time, to a baby girl called Elise. She's absurdly beautiful, and utterly adorable," the CNN talk show host posted, adding that the baby arrived after Morgan's favorite soccer team Arsenal won a match.

This is the first child for Morgan and second wife Celia Walden, 34, a writer at British newspaper The Daily Telegraph. The 46-year-old TV host also has three sons with first wife Marion Shalloe, whom he married in 1991 and divorced in 2008.

Morgan, formerly an editor of British newspapers News of the World and the Daily Mirror and a judge on the TV show "America's Got Talent," replaced Larry King at CNN in 2010.

The host anchors the "Piers Morgan Tonight" show, where he has interviewed celebrities and personalities such as radio shock-jock Howard Stern, actor George Clooney and Republican Tea Party politician Christine O'Donnell.

RABAT (Reuters) - Morocco's Justice and Development Party (PJD) claimed victory on Saturday in a parliamentary election that should produce a stronger government after King Mohammed ceded some powers to prevent any spillover from Arab Spring uprisings.

A voter casts her ballot at a polling station in Rabat November 25, 2011. REUTERS/Stringer

The PJD, supported largely by Morocco's poor, would be the second moderate Islamist party to lead a North African government since the start of the region's Arab Spring uprisings, following Tunisia.

But the party, which hopes to push Islamic finance but vows to steer clear of imposing a strict moral code on society, will have to join forces with others to form a government.

"Based on the information that we have received so far, we are set to exceed our expectations. I think we are on course to obtain between 90 and 100 seats," said Abdelilah Benkirane, leader of the PJD, referring to the 395-seat chamber.

Government officials could not immediately confirm the party's assertion, which would be make the PJD one of Morocco's most successful political parties in recent history.

The king revived a reform process this year hoping to sap the momentum out of a protest movement and avoid the violence-ridden revolts in Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Yemen and Syria.

He has handed over more powers to the government, although he retains the final say on the economy, security and religion.

Some 13.6 million Moroccans out of a population of about 33 million were registered to vote in the country's ninth election since independence from France in 1956.

Voter turnout stood at 45 percent, Interior Minister Taib Cherkaoui said, up from a record low in 2007 when only 37 percent of 15.5 million registered voters turned out. The ministry has not accounted for the change in registered voters.

The polls "took place under normal conditions and a under a climate of mobilisation marked by fair competition and respect of electoral laws," Cherkaoui told reporters.

The first results will be issued later on Saturday, the minister added. In contrast to previous elections, Friday's vote was expected to be a closely-run contest between PJD and a new coalition of liberals with close ties to the royal palace.

But Mustapha Al Khalfi, a member of PJD's politburo, sounded a note of caution among the cries of victory.

"We have to wait for the final results because there was a lot of fraud, so we hope that it will not cost us what should be a resounding victory for our party," he said.

Lahcen Haddad, a prominent member of the so-called Alliance for Democracy, declined to comment.

Driss Yazami, who heads the official National Council for Human Rights, told the private Aswat radio that observers had recorded violations, including some potential voters being given food. "It did not reach a scale that can affect the overall course of the polls," Yazami said.

BOYCOTTED POLLS?

The king will pick the next prime minister from the party that wins the biggest number of seats. But whichever party or bloc comes first is unlikely to be able to form a government on its own.

PJD has said it aims to obtain a majority by joining forces with three parties in the current governing coalition, including the left-wing Socialist Union of Popular Forces (USFP) and the nationalist Istiqlal of Prime Minister Abbas Al Fassi.

Economists are keen to see the polls leading to the creation of a cohesive government that would be able to narrow a growing budget deficit, cut a 30-percent-plus youth unemployment rate and address the needs of 8.5 million destitute Moroccans.

Since becoming king in 1999, King Mohammed won international praise for his efforts to repair a dark legacy of human right abuses under the 38-year rule of his late father King Hassan. But his reform drive lost momentum over the last few years.

There remains a vocal minority who say his revived reforms are not enough. Thousands of people joined protests in several cities last weekend to back calls for a boycott of the election.

"Today marked a victory for the boycott," said Najib Chawki, an activist with the February 20 Movement, which has been leading protests since February to demand a British- or Spanish-style monarchy and an end to corruption.

"Only 6 million out of 21 million Moroccans eligible to vote took part in the polls. This sends a strong signal to authorities that Moroccans are not buying the proposed reforms. We will not give up until our demands are met," Chawki said.

RABAT (Reuters) - Morocco's Justice and Development Party (PJD) claimed victory on Saturday in a parliamentary election that should produce a stronger government after King Mohammed ceded some powers to prevent any spillover from Arab Spring uprisings.

A voter casts her ballot at a polling station in Rabat November 25, 2011. REUTERS/Stringer

The PJD, which finds its support largely among Morocco's poor, would be the second moderate Islamist party to lead a North African government since the start of the region's Arab Spring uprisings, following Tunisia.

But the party, which hopes to push Islamic finance but vows to steer clear of imposing a strict moral code on society, will have to join forces with others to form a government.

"Based on reports filed by our representatives at polling stations throughout the country, we are the winners. We won Rabat, Casablanca, Tangier, Kenitra, Sale, Beni Mellal and Sidi Ifni to cite just a few," Lahcen Daodi, second in command of the moderate Islamist party, told Reuters.

"Our party has won the highest number of seats," he said.

Government officials could not immediately confirm the party's assertion.

The king revived a reform process this year hoping to sap the momentum out of a protest movement and avoid the violence-ridden revolts in Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Yemen and Syria.

He has handed over more powers to the government, although he retains the final say on the economy, security and religion.

Some 13.6 million Moroccans out of a population of about 33 million were registered to vote in the country's ninth election since independence from France in 1956.

Voter turnout stood at 45 percent, Interior Minister Taib Cherkaoui said, up from a record low in 2007 when only 37 percent of 15.5 million registered voters turned out. The ministry has not accounted for the change in registered voters.

The polls "took place under normal conditions and a under a climate of mobilisation marked by fair competition and respect of electoral laws," Cherkaoui told reporters.

The first results will be issued later on Saturday, the minister added. In contrast to previous elections, Friday's vote was expected to be a closely-run contest between PJD and a new coalition of liberals with close ties to the royal palace.

But Mustapha Al Khalfi, a member of PJD's politburo, sounded a note of caution among the cries of victory.

"We have to wait for the final results because there was a lot of fraud, so we hope that it will not cost us what should be a resounding victory for our party," he said.

Lahcen Haddad, a prominent member of the so-called Alliance for Democracy, declined to comment.

Driss Yazami, who heads the official National Council for Human Rights, told the private Aswat radio that observers had recorded violations, including some potential voters being given food. "It did not reach a scale that can affect the overall course of the polls," Yazami said.

BOYCOTTED POLLS?

The king will pick the next prime minister from the party that wins the biggest number of seats. But whichever party or bloc comes first is unlikely to be able to form a government on its own.

PJD has said it aims to obtain a majority by joining forces with three parties in the current governing coalition, including the left-wing Socialist Union of Popular Forces (USFP) and the nationalist Istiqlal of Prime Minister Abbas Al Fassi.

Economists are keen to see the polls leading to the creation of a cohesive government that would be able to narrow a growing budget deficit, cut a 30-percent-plus youth unemployment rate and address the needs of 8.5 million destitute Moroccans.

Since becoming king in 1999, King Mohammed won international praise for his efforts to repair a dark legacy of human right abuses under the 38-year rule of his late father King Hassan. But his reform drive lost momentum over the last few years.

There remains a vocal minority who say his revived reforms are not enough. Thousands of people joined protests in several cities last weekend to back calls for a boycott of the election.

"Today marked a victory for the boycott," said Najib Chawki, an activist with the February 20 Movement, which has been leading protests since February to demand a British- or Spanish-style monarchy and an end to corruption.

"Only 6 million out of 21 million Moroccans eligible to vote took part in the polls. This sends a strong signal to authorities that Moroccans are not buying the proposed reforms. We will not give up until our demands are met," Chawki said.

RABAT (Reuters) - The Justice and Development Party (PJD) said it had won the largest number of seats in Morocco's parliamentary election on Friday.

"Based on reports filed by our representatives at polling stations throughout the country, we are the winners. We won Rabat, Casablanca, Tangier, Kenitra, Sale, Beni Mellal and Sidi Ifni to cite just a few," Lahcen Daodi, second in command of the moderate Islamist party, told Reuters.

A voter casts her ballot at a polling station in Rabat November 25, 2011. REUTERS/Stringer

"Our party has won the highest number of seats," he added.

Government officials could not immediately confirm the party's claim.

The PJD would be the second moderate Islamist party to lead a North African government since the start of the region's Arab Spring uprisings, following Tunisia.

Daodi could not give a figure for the number of seats his party had won in the 395-member House of Representatives.

Mustapha Al Khalfi, a member of the PJD's politburo, also said the party had won the election but sounded a note of caution.

"We have to wait for the final results because there was a lot of fraud, so we hope that it will not cost us what should be a resounding victory for our party," he said.

LONDON Nov 25 (Reuters) - Many England players are horrified by the series of leaked confidential reports on England's troubled World Cup campaign which are selective, former manager Martin Johnson said on Friday.

Widespread friction in the camp was revealed in three reports leaked to The Times newspaper this week, giving a grim account of ill-discipline, mismanagement, division and greed in a tournament that ended in a quarter-final loss to France.

"Of course it is not great to see those bits. It was one of the worst things I have experienced in the game," Johnson, who stood down as team manager last week, told Sky Sports News.

"You don't like seeing criticism of people, of yourself, of players."

The trio of reviews by the Rugby Football Union's director of elite rugby Rob Andrew, the players' union and professional clubs, had not been intended to be seen by the public but were obtained by the newspaper.

"Do not take the extreme opinion written in extreme circumstances as fact," Johnson said.

"You are frustrated because what is being reported is not anywhere near the truth of it. From my point of view that is a fact. That is not what happened."

He added that the opinions that were printed were selective and not representative of the squad.

"To pick out the most emotive and the worst comments is dangerous and very damaging and not a true reflection of that group," he said.

"One of the things they did in difficult circumstances was stick together.

"Sometimes you let things go by but the way it has been reported is so inaccurate I thought I had to come here (and speak out) for the good, not only of the management group and the players but the whole game.

"The saddest thing for me is that it doesn't reflect well on the whole game right now. A lot of the players are horrified at how it has come out and how it is being reported."

'ROCK BOTTOM'

Andrew accepted full responsibility for the chaos surrounding the England team on Thursday, saying the RFU was at "rock bottom" - and that was before fresh controversy reported by The Times on Friday.

The newspaper said three England players were put under pressure by the RFU at the World Cup to pay NZ$30,000 ($22,200) to buy the silence of a chambermaid who had alleged she had been harassed.

The RFU was unavailable for comment on that matter but Johnson said he had believed it had been closed when the players had been told to apologise for their actions and had done so.

"I had spoken to the girl involved before the incident, after the incident, a number of times, the players apologised to her, we thought that was the end of the matter from both sides," he said.

"We spoke to her a week later, so sort of three weeks after the event there are now through lawyers a demand asking for compensation ... and then you are in a very difficult position.

"The first thing we said to the players ... was you need to get independent legal advice as to how you want to act on this matter ... She asked for compensation and an option you could do was do that."

Johnson, who led England to the Six Nations title this year, agreed with Andrew's 'rock bottom' assessment.

"That is probably true. That is what is disappointing," he said. "The England team should be at the top of the game for everyone to look up to and admire and respect."

The RFU is bringing in outside help to investigate the source of the leaked reports.

KEMPTON PARK, South Africa, Nov 25 (Reuters) - Briton Steven O'Hara fired a 68 to sit alone at the top of the leaderboard after the second round of the South African Open at the Serengeti Golf Estate on Friday.

Overnight leader O'Hara moved to 11-under-par overall, one stroke ahead of two-time U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen and fellow South African Merrick Bremner.

The Scot is desperate for a good finish this week. He sits 134th on the European Tour money list and a top-four finish in this co-sanctioned event with the Sunshine Tour will ensure he keeps his card.

A top-10 finish will gain him entry into next week's Hong Kong Open, which is his last chance to retain his playing privileges.

O'Hara credited new-found success with his putter for his lead.

"For the last month I've been hitting the ball really well, I don't think I've hit it better. But it's been so frustrating, I haven't been able to sink any putts.

South African Lyle Rowe, after a six-under round of 66, and compatriot Garth Mulroy, the winner of last weekend's Alfred Dunhill Championship, are a further stroke behind Goosen and Bremner.

Jbe Kruger, who shared the first round lead with O'Hara on seven-under, had to be content with a 71 on Friday and a share of sixth place on eight-under with fellow South African Jean Hugo.

Goosen, who has won the SA Open twice, had just a single bogey in another solid round in tougher conditions than on the first day due to a stronger, less predictable wind and quicker greens.

All of the leaders in the one million euro event will be acutely aware of the lurking presence of five-time winner Ernie Els, who shot his second successive 69 to lie in a tie for 14th, on six-under, five shots off the pace at the halfway stage.

"I drove a bit better today and putted nicely too, and I really feel there's a low one out there for me. But obviously I'm looking for two really good rounds on the weekend," Els said.

The cut, made on two-under-par, claimed the notable scalps of England's Simon Dyson, the highest-ranked golfer in the field, and South African George Coetzee, who is 25th on the Race to Dubai. Both were one shot shy of the cut.

KABUL, Nov 25 (Reuters) - Colin Montgomerie has helped transform soldiers' firing ranges into driving ranges on a trip to Afghanistan to support foreign troops and promote golf in a country with plenty of checkpoints, but few fairways.

The 48-year-old Scot gave golf lessons and donated equipment to troops and Afghan children on a three-day trip this week where he travelled from the main British military base in Helmand, one of the country's most violent regions, to foreign troops' headquarters in the capital city Kabul.

The former European Ryder Cup captain said he had helped turn a 300-metre firing range into a makeshift golf driving range at Camp Bastion in Helmand.

"We used the long-range firing range," Montgomerie told reporters in Kabul on Friday. "It was quite good to get the lads out and to have a go."

Later Montgomerie showed off his golfing prowess on a patchy soccer field at the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) headquarters. He gave swing tips to army personnel and about two dozen Afghan children who had never picked up a golf club before.

"It's the first time I've ever done this on a football pitch," he joked while swinging his club and targeting a soccer goal down the other end of the field - he hit it on his fourth attempt, to cheers.

But later he said the trip also had serious intentions to promote golf and bring relief to troops.

"These kids, they were born into war and grew up in war and it's been a very difficult," he said, adding he hoped that the Afghans might qualify a golf team for the 2016 Olympics, where golf will be played again.

"It is great to promote the game here to encourage the Afghans to have a team there in 2016."

Masoma Alyari, a 15-year-old Afghan schoolgirl, hit the ball after several airswings and said she hoped to play again.

"It's the first time that I've played golf, and it's really interesting," she said.

Montgomerie, who has been succeeded as Ryder Cup captain by Spain's Jose Maria Olazabal, said it was a first for him to visit a country in the midst of war and that of all of his golf experiences, "it has to be the most unique".

He is traveling with the Ryder Cup trophy his team won at Celtic Manor in Wales last year on the trip planned by the Professional Golfers' Association of Britain and Ireland.

Mohammad Afzal Abdul, the golf pro at the dusty nine-hole Kabul Golf Club - dubbed the most dangerous in the world - said he hoped Montgomerie might inspire others to play in a country torn apart by three decades of occupation, civil war, Taliban rule and now the NATO-led military campaign.

"Maybe when Afghanistan's security is better, maybe more golfers will come," he said.

HONG KONG: KPMG chairman has called for a global set of standards for the auditing industry and said the Olympus Corp scandal in Japan reveals evidence of "significant fraud".

Michael Andrew also outlined steps needed to improve the auditing industry in a speech entitled, "Fraud, Financial Crises and the Future of the Big Four." He spoke to the Foreign Correspondents Club in Hong Kong.

KPMG AZSA LLC audited Olympus for several years until 2009, when it was replaced by Ernst & Young ShinNihon LLC. An internal document obtained by Reuters showed that the maker of cameras and medical equipment replaced KPMG after a dispute over how to account for some acquisitions.

Andrew said he was constrained in what he could say about the Olympus scandal, although he did address the issue, saying that KPMG had done the right thing in the actions it took pertaining to the Japanese company.

"What is pretty evident to me is that it is a very, very significant fraud," he said, adding: "We should wait for the Japanese authorities to disclose that."

"I think it is very hard to jump to the conclusion that it's a corporate governance failure.

"Regulation will never prevent corporate scandals," he added, saying that the amount of actual corporate frauds found globally was relatively "tiny".

Andrew also called for more coordinated regulatory oversight as auditing firms have found themselves caught between regulators wanting different rules and standards, such as the current issue facing the United States and China.

He spoke of the difficulties in Europe, where accounting for Greek debt was not done according to a single set of standards by the parties involved. Andrew cited the case of France and Germany accounting for bonds using different figures.

"So how do you account for Greek debt?" he asked, pointing out that the accounting standards should be the same.

The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, the US auditor watchdog, has been pushing to be allowed to inspect Chinese audit firms, but talks with authorities in Beijing appear to have stalled in recent months.

In October, audit industry sources told Reuters that China's financial authorities had asked the big audit firms to review their work on US-listed Chinese companies and disclose any information they may have shared with overseas regulators.

Andrew said that while this did not often happen, being caught between regulators in the United States and China in this instance made auditing very difficult. He cited the need for global regulatory oversight to help avoid such cases.

China has been one of the fastest-growing markets in the world for accounting firms, expanding by nearly 20% in 2010 and accounting for an estimated US$1.5bil in revenue for the Big Four firms last year, according to data from the International Accounting Bulletin.

KPMG had 10,000 people in China, he said. The issues the auditing industry had faced with Chinese clients lately was not crimping the firm's growth plans there, he said.

One issue being mentioned as a way to help corporate governance is audit rotation, where companies are forced to switch auditors after a certain period of time.

Andrew was critical of this idea, saying that this raised cost concerns and that mistakes could go undetected during an audit handover.

"The empirical evidence shows that errors occur on that change," he said. - Reuters

HONG KONG: Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group Ltd could raise up to US$2.83bil, which would be the biggest Hong Kong initial public offering (IPO) of the year, tapping volatile equity markets to fund the purchase of diamonds and gold and pay down debt.

The Hong Kong-based company would offer 1.05 billion shares at HK$15 to HK$21 each, putting the total deal size at up to HK$22.05 billion (US$2.83bil), two sources with direct knowledge of the deal said.

The IPO, one of the most anticipated of the year because of its size and the wide brand recognition of Chow Tai Fook in Greater China, would value the company at about US$27bil, nearly three times the size of US jeweller Tiffany & Co.

"They're a very established brand and they've been around forever, so there's a reason for them to want to be listed," said Selina Sia, head of consumer research at Mirae Asset in Hong Kong. "It really depends on the pricing, the market is not doing well."

The 83-year-old jewellery retailer is among several companies pushing ahead with offerings, despite the uncertainty over Europe's debt troubles that has caused a roller-coaster ride in markets the past several weeks.

Other major deals lined up in the region include insurer New China Life's US$2.5bil dual listing in Shanghai and Hong Kong and brokerage Haitong Securities' up to US$2bil offering.

Chow Tai Fook's IPO would have no commitments from so-called cornerstone investors, one of the sources said, a sign that investors were unwilling to tie up their funds for an extended amount of time.

Such investors back many Asian listings, committing to buy large, guaranteed stakes and agreeing to a lock-up period during which they will not sell their shares.

The IPO would instead count on a large list of "anchor" investors that had less restrictions on when they could sell the stock, the source added.

Chow Tai Fook, controlled by billionaire tycoon and New World Development Co Ltdchairman Cheng Yutung, will start a roadshow for the offering on Monday, with pricing slated for Dec 8, according to terms of the deal previously seen by Reuters. - Reuters

FANS of Korean dramas and pop music now have a perfect place to converge: free online video streaming portal Maaduu.com.

Launched by three childhood friends from Klang and two Singaporeans late last year, Maaduu is the only legal video-on-demand (VOD) site dedicated specifically to Korean entertainment in the country.

Today, a mere year later, it has built up a library of about 150 drama titles totalling more than 2,000 hours and has drawn over 700,000 active sign-up members and nearly 1.5 million fans on Facebook.

Maaduu has also attracted a roster of advertisers that include DiGi, Maxis, Astro, McDonald's, Pantene, Drypers and Libresse.

Interestingly, the portal that caters mainly to youth was the brainchild of a few men in their 40s.

Prior to setting up Maaduu, the five entrepreneurs operated an e-learning business for a decade. The technological expertise from that venture helped make the shift to the current business easy.

So how did a bunch of people who were not Korean drama fans knew what content to provide? They just followed the Web traffic.

Maaduu.com chief executive officer Dennis Lee, one of the Malaysian partners, says entertainment has got a huge following on the Internet, but unfortunately, particularly to illegal sites.

"We analysed the traffic and broke the kinds of content down, and saw that South Korean content was the craze. We did not decide to create the craze but to just follow and service that craze, so it became a really easy job. Rather than trying to create demand, we just service the ready demand," he tells StarBizWeek.

"When we started we didn't build the business based on the topline and cashflow but only on what the consumers wanted. We had faith if we provided what they wanted, the money would come in."

They pumped in RM2mil initially. "It was very scary to pump in RM2mil when we had zero viewers. We just believed, we did it, and they (the viewers) came."

Like bees to honey (what madu means in English) they come. More than 350,000 unique viewers are drawn to Maaduu content every month.

While none of the Maaduu partners were Korean drama fans initially, managing partner Syed Yazrine Shahab says that they are now. They caught the bug while finding out why people like Korean dramas!

Today, Lee counts himself among the hardcore fans. "I can finish a 16-episode drama, which takes 16 hours, in two days!" he says.

"I can't wait for the whole two months to finish one episode per week. Now I'm very immersed in it, and I can understand why Malaysians are so crazy about it. The dramas have this emotional connection create an emotional attachment not only with the characters and storylines but also due to the Asian culture."

In fact, he says, the longer the drama series tend to attract the most viewers as the fans don't want the stories to end.

While the idol dramas (which feature good-looking boys) as well as romance and family melodramas are highly popular, you can find many other genres, including mystery and historical epics.

Maaduu offers dramas from South Korea's two biggest network broadcasters - KBS and MBC - just 48 hours after they are released in the native country. "Our rights actually allow us to simulcast (broadcast simultaneously) with South Korea, but we need to create the subtitles, which is why there's a lag of 48 hours," Lee explains.

All the dramas have English subtitles, while Malay subtitles are available for about 30% of the shows currently. By the end of the year, Maaduu will also provide Chinese subtitles.

Maadu has ambitious plans. Besides expanding its content to include Korean variety shows and movies, it is also looking at "conquering" Asia-Pacific.

After Malaysia, it started Maaduu in Singapore in July. Now it is negotiating to cover Indonesia and Thailand with the hope of seeing it materialise in the first quarter of next year.

"When we first started, we did not have exclusive rights since we didn't want to pay premium prices. But after KBS and MBC saw our phenomenal growth, effective Jan 2012 we will have the exclusive rights for video on demand and mobile in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. We will also have it on the iPad and iPhone by next month, so it suits the current lifestyle of people," Lee says.

Maaduu can afford to be bolder and explore new territories now that it is seeing some financial success. "We have passed 50% of our revenue projection of RM6mil for the year ending March 31, 2012," reveals Lee.

Maaduu is unfazed by its online competitors or the DVD pirates.

"The market is quite segmented. People who watch DVDs will continue to watch DVDs; they're creatures of habits. We are targeting people who are already online; they never watch DVDs and watch on pirate sites," Lee says.

"Now that we make it legal and free, we level the playing field and we also make it of higher quality with our compression technology (you get the same quality of a 1.5-2 megabits but at 300 kilobits). So it only makes sense for them to say, I'm still watching online, but I'm going with Maaduu now,'" he says. Its two largest groups of Malaysian consumers are 15 to 26 years old (44%) and 26 to 35 years old (45%) groups that fast-moving consumer goods companies are keen to market to.

Advertising spots are sold by the week. Advertisers are assured of at least 100,000 impressions (people viewing 100,000 times) for a minimum one-week buy costing about RM12,000. "However, some clients are interested in branding and want their ads to be seen more often. We provide a report at the end of the campaign to quantify the number of impressions we've achieved and other data," Lee says.

Ranga Somanathan, CEO of media specialist Starcom Mediavest Group Malaysia, says advertisers are very keen to leverage Internet to build communities and trigger conversations with their audiences.

"At Starcom MediaVest and Optimedia, across our global markets we have tested and learned the best use of online video. Placing ads in online video content via smart targeting has resulted in significantly higher recall levels then via regular TV spots. Efficacy of placing ads in online video is very strong," Ranga says.

MediaVest and Optimedia Malaysia strategic planning director Stan Chew says Maaduu has great content, but what will ultimately distinguish Maaduu from the others is how it addresses and capitalises on three key challenges: distribution, technology and innovative advertising solutions.

"Tonton is already offering mobile and also tablet solutions to further widen it's on-the-go services and Maaduu, despite offering a different solution, will need to play catch up on this very soon," he notes.

Chew says that as broadband penetration currently reaches less than 40% of the total Internet population (debatable and excluding mobile 3G and 4G). inking partnership deals with potential broadband providers and even possibly manufacturers of smart TVs or TV set top boxes and providing a more integrated system will increase its distribution and also possibly offer much better quality viewing experiences.

Replying to Chew's comments, Lee highlights that tonton's mobile delivery is Web browser-based while Maaduu's mobile delivery will be via mobile app (one-touch launch) on multiple devices like iPhones. He also notes that Maaduu has secured a three-year exclusive licensing rights VOD and mobile for its content in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia from MBC.

Lim Soo Shien, senior brand manager of Libresse, says that as a marketer today, it's great to have new media options beyond the traditional, expected ones. "Maaduu is definitely at the forefront of media innovation in Malaysia."

Besides the portal, Maaduu is using Facebook as an engagement tool.

"If you are active online, you'd most likely have a Facebook account and you would view on Facebook, so why not let you watch the drama on Facebook? When you do that, you're sharing it with your friends who are in your social network and that creates a viral effect if you got 200 friends, you've just told 200 friends you've watched The Thorn Birds!" says Lee.

The fans can chat at the same time when watching the dramas with social media.

"As they're watching, for example, Boys Over Flowers (a 2009 drama) the most watched drama on Maaduu they can see on the left-hand side of the Maaduu screen how many others are also watching the same drama at that time, so they can communicate and engage with each other while watching," Lee says.

On Facebook, Maaduu has garnered close to 1.5 million fans. "We exceeded one million fans in just nine months. We're the top local video entertainment site based on Effective Measure's latest figures," he says.

"When we started in September 2010 with zero viewers, we told ourselves that by the end of Dec 2010, we wanted to have 50,000 viewers. But in three days we were already at 20,000!" Within just nine months, it hit one million Facebook fans.

What will Maaduu do if the South Korean drama fad fizzles out?

"Historically there were the Hong Kong dramas in the 80s, followed by J-pop and now K-pop which started in early 2000 and is growing stronger. At some point, the popularity may taper off. This is where Maaduu's strength lies. We are just a delivery platform," says Lee. "If tomorrow everyone wants to watch Swahili shows, we will show them that. We go by market demand. We will not be too sentimental over something. Our asset is not restricted by the trend. Our asset is the audience. We get their loyalty and support by providing them exceptional service."

PUTRAJAYA: Umno will not impose any restrictions on any quarters, including members of the media, to listen and report all issues raised by speakers and debators at this year's Umno general assembly scheduled to begin on Tuesday.

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who is also Umno deputy president, said Umno was keeping an open mind as it had nothing to hide, despite knowing that the debate would mainly touch on the interests and the future of the Malays.

"Although the assembly is basically a closed-door event because only selected delegates will participate in the debates, I think it has been our practice to be open and we will continue doing it. There will be no restrictions on people to listem to the debates from outside the hall and for the media to give wide coverage on the event as usual.

"We must be transparent. Even though the debates will touch more on the interests and the future of the Malays, we must understand that Umno plays a vital role in the Government because we are the core party in Barisan Nasional," he said at a special news conference in conjunction with the Umno General Assembly 2011 here Friday.

On this year's assembly, Muhyiddin said it was the most important and would not only attract the attention of Malaysians but also of the international community.

He said was he was also confident that the issues raised at the assembly would be scrutinised by the people from all walks of life, especially among Umno members, to ascertain the credibility of the party and whether it was still relevant with the current struggles of the Malays and Malaysians as a whole.

"Focus will also be given to see whether Umno, which has been fighting for the interests of the Malays, is still having the same principles as its main foundation of its struggles and whether the party has undergone the desired changes and transformation after the 12th general election in 2008," he said.

Muhyiddin said he also hoped that all speakers and debators at the assembly would appear more professsional, understand the issue and not be rhetorical.

"There must be a new approach, new breath and new content with complete data. Don't just simply make baseless statements," he said.

He said this was because the debates would be heard by millions of people who were able to evaluate and whose intelligence could not be underestimated.

A total of 5,447 delegates will take part in the Umno General Assembly 2011 at Dewan Merdeka, Putra World Trade centre (PWTC) from Nov 29 to Dec 3. - Bernama

KUALA LUMPUR: DAP publicity secretary Tony Pua is standing by his claim that milk powder sold at Kedai Rakyat 1Malaysia (KR1M) exceeds the permissible Vitamin A content, even though the Health Ministry has deemed it safe.

Pua also refuted a statement from the ministry that he had been misleading the public by giving false information about the quality of products sold by KR1M. "The minister said I had confused the rulings in the Food Regulations Act, and categorised milk powder under Rule 389A (follow-up formula) when I should have categorised it under Rule 395, which means food not elsewhere standardised," Pua said at press conference at DAP's national headquarters here Friday.

The Petaling Jaya Utara MP maintained that even if milk powder were to be categorised under the food regulations laid out by Rule 395, the amount of Vitamin A in KR1M's milk powder was still too high if the recommended level of 480gm a day was adhered to.

"The packaging on KR1M's milk powder recommends four scoops of 30gm for up to four servings a day," Pua said.

"The Health Minister earlier said that every 100gm of milk powder contained 3,240 international units (IU) of Vitamin A.

"This means children would be drinking over 15,000 IU, which is three times above the maximum amount recommended which is 5000 IU," said Pua.

Pua also called for a dialogue with the ministry on Nov 29 to compare findings and find a solution to this and other KR1M products.

Published: Friday November 25, 2011 MYT 8:05:00 PM

"We expect the floods to be worse than previously, so the preparations are beyond the usual," he said at a special media conference in conjunction with the Umno General Assembly 2011, at the Education Ministry here Friday.

Muhyiddin, who is also Education Minister and national disaster management chairman, said the Information, Communications and Culture ministry had been directed to provide updates on the situation besides launching a flood portal for reference.

"Generally, we have prepared for the floods and everyone knows what needs to be done. It is only a matter of how soon are the victims ready to move and how quickly to act and evacuate them when an area is flooded," he said.

More than 2,000 flood victims are currently staying at relief centres in Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang. - Bernama

MARVEL Universe's main event for 2011 ends in a sombre and abrupt fashion. While those familiar with Norse mythology would have known the outcome of the Thor-Serpent encounter, Fear Itself is one of those story arcs that you go in knowing the ending but yet hoping that there will be a twist to it.

Ironically, the House of Ideas decides to stick to the original script and presents Thor's end in cataclysmic fashion. Before I jump to the end, a quick recap of this seven-parter sees the mightiest heroes in Midgard (Earth) and Asgard being divided by the emergence of the Serpent on Earth. Released by Sin (the Red Skull's daughter) from its entombment, the Serpent rewards her and six others (Juggernaut, Absorbing Man, Titania, Attuma, Grey Gargoyle and the Hulk) with enchanted hammers – en route to a series of global destructions.

Surprisingly, despite the Serpent's Asgard-heritage, Odin wants no part in stopping its onslaught and even goes to the extent of withdrawing all Asgardians (including Thor) from Earth. Subsequently, it was revealed that the Serpent is actually Odin's brother and the true exiled King of Asgard. However, what worried Odin most was the "prophecy" that the Serpent's demise would only come at the expense of Thor's life!

Outmatched by the Serpent's posse, Tony Stark succeeds in getting Odin's blessings via a set of Uru weaponry to even the odds. While this merely enables our heroes to save the day, the Thor-Serpent battle is inevitable and ... so is the ending.

Having read the epic Walt Simonson inspired Thor-Serpent battle way back in the 1980s (Thor (Vol.1) #380), this modern day version mostly lacks "oomph" in terms of battle choreography. The saving grace comes from Thor's final moments with Odin.

I doubt anyone would shed a tear (unless Loki whips up some mischief) as a resurrection is inevitable. After all this script has been done before and there's an Avengers movie looming next summer.

Overall, Fear Itself comes to me like a mega-Maximum Carnage event but with a better ending.

WHAT'S 7.1, you ask? Not a numbering error but rather a "sneaky" way of capitalising on epilogues. Fortunately, this issue sizzles despite going against a fundamental grouse in comics – resurrection! However, what makes the "resurrection" here different is the character, the writer and the timing. Character-wise, Bucky Barnes doesn't deserve to die (yet) again – especially after being resurrected a few years back from a five-decade long slumber.

Most importantly, be it as the Winter Soldier or the "new" Captain America, Bucky has offered a new dimension to the concept of Star Spangling adventures.

On the writer itself, if anyone should kill Bucky, the honour belongs to Ed Brubaker – the man who resurrected him and elevated his status into a key Marvel character. Hence, (Matt) Fraction does not deserve carte blanche rights to "kill" Bucky.

Lastly, the timing of the announcement of the "resurrection" isn't too long. While Steve Rogers may disagree, as evident by his manhandling of Nick Fury for staging Bucky's "death", a four month' wait is within my tolerance zone.

This is the issue that deals with Bucky's "death" post-Fear Itself. Obviously, he didn't die and the "excuse" here was that Fury and Black Widow substituted him with a Life Model Decoy (LMD) after his near death encounter with Sin. While I would normally find such reasoning as lame, I must admit that my personal bias towards Bucky makes me a sucker for the good news. Now I hope that Marvel fully justifies this about-turn in the upcoming Winter Soldier regular series.

IF the "point 1" issues are your cup of tea, then here are a dozen issues worth of the Fear Itself aftermath that should grant you eternal happiness ... well, for the next three months, at least (each issue ships weekly). Sin shares her protagonist role here with the Valkyrie, as both femme fatale characters embark on a tough challenge to recover all of the mystical artifacts left during the Fear Itself episode.

With Cap keeping the weapons on Earth (instead of Asgard), albeit at different secret locations, it takes a few pages for the raiders to pinpoint its location. Here's where I feel that Reed or Franklin Richards could have whipped up a "pocket dimension" to safeguard the weapons better. Expect this treasure hunt storyline to dominate the upcoming issues and I'm rooting for Valkyrie to elevate her role in the Marvel Universe, especially with a Defenders revival in sight.

LEFT standing after the war and having passed through the hands of many owners, this inn in a sleepy American town in Maryland is rumoured to be haunted.

Then along come the Montgomery brothers, Beckett, Ryder and Owen, and their eccentric mother who decides to refurbish the place. On top of this, Beckett has another personal project to see to: the girl he set his sights on when he was 16 years old, the one he is still determined to make his own.

Is That A Fish In Your Ear? – Translation And The Meaning Of EverythingAuthor: David BellosPublisher: Particular Books, 374 pages

PEOPLE speak different languages. Without translation, we would not be able to cope with the diversity of languages in the world today. From foreign films to fairytale books, translation is at the heart of many things we do.

How do you translate a joke? What's the difference between a native tongue and a learned one? Can machines ever replace human translators? Will Star Trek's universal translator ever become a reality? This book shows how much we can learn about ourselves and others just by examining how we use translation.

THE Five Percenters, a movement that began as a breakaway sect from the Nation of Islam in 1960s Harlem in New York, has been accused of being everything from a street gang to a revolutionary group, even a black parallel to the Hell's Angels. The group has been denounced by white America as racists and by orthodox Islam as heretics for its teachings. The author examines the thought system behind the Five Percent culture and its critique of organised religion.

The White People And Other Weird StoriesAuthor: Arthur MachenPublisher: Penguin, 377 pages

WELSHMAN Arthur Machen is an actor, journalist and devotee of Celtic Christianity who lived in the late 19th and early 20th century. He is known for stories that delve into the supernatural and bizarre. His works have drawn comparisons with that of H.P. Lovecraft and Edgar Allan Poe.

This re-issued collection of short stories offers an introduction to his style. Included is a foreword by film director and screenwriter Guillermo del Toro, who himself recently completed a trilogy of horror/sci-fi books.

CrossbonesAuthor: Nuruddin FarahPublisher: Riverhead Books, 386 pages

IT has been 12 years since Somali-American professor Jeebleh left Mogadishu. Returning to see old friends, he brings with him his son-in-law, Malik, who is a journalist intent on covering the region's ongoing turmoil. Upon arrival, Jeebleh is surprised to find an eerie calm reigning instead of the expected chaos. But the quiet of the city does not last long, and when raiders fall upon the city, it becomes a battle zone. And in the midst of the chaos, Malik's brother is searching for his stepson who is believed to have been recruited for a dangerous task. This book completes Farah's Past Imperfect trilogy.

Hidden TreasureAuthor: GangajiPublisher: Jeremy P. Tarcher, 207 pages

SHE was raised in a racially divided community and married young. She sought many different paths to enlightenment but always met with a dead end – until she travelled to India and met her teacher in 1990. Given the name Gangaji on the banks of the river Ganga (her real name is Antoinette Roberson Varner), she immersed herself in her spiritual calling. This is her story and a lesson in seeking the truth and achieving lasting contentment.

FOLKTALES hold a mirror up to our inner lives and provide us with a shared frame of reference, so it's small wonder that many modern authors (among them Angela Carter in The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories and Adèle Geras who writes the introduction to this book) have been inspired to update these traditional stories.

In Malaysian Tales Retold And Remixed, editor Daphne Lee (who writes the weekly Tots To Teens column in Star2 On Sunday) pulls together some of Malaysia's finest fiction writers (as well as Singapore's O Thiam Chin) to share their versions of traditional stories. What results is a collection of very fresh new fiction with its roots in the oral past, but exploring contemporary concerns.

The writing is most effective when the writers give their legendary characters a human voice, exploring their motivations and preoccupations.

Endless Night by Lee gives a voice to the legendary character Puteri Gunung Ledang and transforms her into a "wholly magical entity" in a piece that is both lyrical and sensual.

Preeta Samarasan's retelling of Si Tanggang captures the depth of a mother's heartbreak and makes it entirely plausible that this wronged woman could utter a curse that would turn her own child to stone.

Samarasan also transforms the Pulau Langkawi legend of Mahsuri, a woman accused of adultery and summarily executed, into a moving contemporary love story of a young woman much wronged, both by her absentee husband and by her delinquent brother who claims to have killed his sister for the family honour.

The writer uses the piece to ask important questions about sexuality in Malaysia – an issue, she says, which is quite inseparable from race and religion.

In several other stories in the collection, the female protagonist emerges as stronger and wiser than in the original version and violent confrontation is replaced with wit and diplomacy. This is certainly the case in Karina Bahrin's A Little Warm Death where the legend of Puteri Sa'adong is given a contemporary twist as jet-setting wife Sadie manages to finally persuade her reluctant stay-at-home husband to accompany her on her travels.

It is remarkable how well O Thiam Chin's The Last Voyage and Janet Tay's The Gift mirror each other. Each takes a real historical character around whom legends have accrued, largely because we have so few solid facts about them, and then create entirely convincing voices for them.

O Thiam Chin shows us Admiral Zheng He reflecting on his great sea voyages and past glories; he shows us too his private pain and longing, as he prepares now to venture into the unknown territory of love.

The Gift revisits the story of Hang Li Poh sent from her home in China and delivered "appropriately packaged like a birthday gift fit for a king" to marry Sultan Mansur Shah of Malacca, a sweetener for a trading partnership between the two nations.

In both stories there is a revealing of physical mutilations (for Hang Li Po it is her bound feet, for Zheng He the scars of castration), and a hope for acceptance in the face of truth.

There is more lighthearted fare in the book. Playwright Ann Lee's Su And Her Natural Love For Swimming brings together an unfulfilled housewife and a rather strange swimming pool attendant who form an unlikely friendship. Amir Muhammad's contribution – written in the form of a proposal to a film studio head for a remake of Raja Bersiang – is a tongue in cheek piece in which Amir draws on his extensive knowledge of the local film industry. As he suggests each change (transposing the story to a private secondary school, tapping into the teenage vampire craze, turning it into a musical) the story becomes increasingly farcical.

Another piece that stands out is Rehman Rashid's The Legend Of Din Ketolak which grew out of his research for a series of articles he was commissioned to write on Pulau Pangkor. The voice of the old man comes through most strongly as he tells us about the days when the Malays were giants, three times bigger than they are now, and true heroes.

Elsewhere, Zed Adams' rewriting of Batu Belah gives the traditional story an imaginative sci-fi twist; Ho Lee Ling accounts for the strange Singha creature spotted by the Prince of Palembang after which the Lion City got it's name; and Kee Thuan Chye retells the story of Hang Nadim the young man who saves Singapura from the swordfish scourge.

It is, as Kee says, "a tale that speaks to us today", with its echoes of the contemporary political scene, and indeed he has used it as the basis for his bitingly satirical play The Swordfish, Then The Concubine.

Working with original tales clearly gave the writers a firm framework on which to hang their own ideas. If I might be permitted a slight niggle though, a short synopsis of each original story would have helped readers to appreciate the transformation. (Perhaps this information could have been put on a website?)

However, most of the retellings are strong enough to be enjoyed in their own right, and this is without doubt one of the best Malaysian short story collections of recent years.

Eastern Eye, a weekly, conducted a survey through social networking sites like Twitter and Kareena came out on top, edging out last year's winner Katrina Kaif.

Kareena, who recently had hits like Bodyguard and Ra.One, won by 1% of votes, the narrowest ever margin and beat off tough competition from some of the most stunning women from around the world.

Katrina, who had won the title for the last three years by a large margin, slipped into second place.

Eastern Eye showbiz editor Asjad Nazir said: "This battle between the two beauties is a sign of things to come in Bollywood in the next few years.

"Although the list contained pop stars, TV personalities, models and film stars from around the world, the voting quite comprehensively showed that Kareena and Katrina have put a distance between themselves and the rest of the contenders in terms of popularity."

Hrithik Roshan's wife Sussanne received a massive number of votes and was one of the highest new entries at number 16.

EARLY this year, Raymond Wong was in Malaysia with Louis Koo promoting All's Well End's Well 2011 and it became Malaysia's No.1 lunar new year movie collecting over RM7mil at the box office. Now, Wong is back with his new project Magic To Win, a collaboration with director Wilson Yip (Ip Man and Ip Man2).

Initially intended to be a spin-off from the Happy Ghost series sharing similar elements with the classic with its youthful sporty theme, Magic To Win became an all-new production using CGI to create a fun-filled fantasy, adventure and action movie. It also brings together the production team from the two Ip Man moviesas well as stars like Koo, Wu Chun, Wu Jing, Yan Ni and introducing new actress Karena Ng.

The magical world of Magic To Win revolves around the story of Five-Element Wizardry. (The five elements being metal, wood, water, fire and earth.)

Hong Sum-kwai, a university professor, is the wizard of water of Five-Element Wizardry. Although he can cast magic spells, his superpower remains a secret. Then by accident, his power is transmitted to his student, Macy, bringing an enchanting and meaningful adventure to this ordinary girl.

In conjunction with the release of the movie, producer Raymond Wong, actor Wu Chun and director Wilson Yip will be in Kuala Lumpur next Monday (Nov 28) for promotional activities that will be part of the movie's Asian tour. The entourage will be travelling to Hong Kong, Singapore and China as well.

There will be a meet-the-fans-cum-movie launch at Berjaya Times Square Kuala Lumpur at 7.30pm and a gala premiere at TGV KLCC at 9pm.

Magic To Win opens in local cinemas nationwide on Dec 1. For details, visit www.ram-ent.com.my or RAM Entertainment (RAM Movies) on Facebook.

TOMORROW is D-day for the 48th Annual Taipei Golden Horse Awards – the prestigious Chinese language version of the Oscars – with 23 awards to be given away in Taipei.

Taiwanese filmmaker Wei Te-sheng's war epic Warriors Of The Rainbow: Seediq Bale leads with 13 nods in 11 categories: feature film, director, new performer (three nominations), supporting actor, art direction, cinematography, original film score, original film song, action choreography, sound effects, and make-up and costume design. The film is also Taiwan's submission for Best Foreign Language Film at the 84th Academy Awards.

Next up with nine nominations is mainland Chinese filmmaker Jiang Wen's action- comedy Let The Bullets Fly, followed by fellow mainland filmmaker Zhang Meng's dramedy The Piano In A Factory nominated in seven categories.

From Hong Kong with six nominations apiece are Ann Hui's dramedy A Simple Life and Peter Chan Ho-sun's martial arts film Wu Xia.

Veteran Hong Kong actress Deanie Ip, a two-time Golden Horse supporting actress winner, is a top contender in the best actress category, having won in the same category at this year's Venice Film Festival for her role as an ageing nanny in A Simple Life.

Facing tough competition in the best actor category is mainland actor Wang Qian-yuan, who has already won best actor kudos at the 2010 Tokyo International Film Festival for his portrayal of a steelworker who tries very hard to secure a piano for his music prodigy daughter in The Piano In A Factory.

The panel of judges during the nomination round comprised nine jury members chaired by Hou Hsiao-hsien and included Taiwanese animation director Shih Chang-jay, Hong Kong director Pang Ho-cheung and film editor Chen Sheng-chang.

The complete list of nominations is available at the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival official website (www.goldenhorse.org.tw). The awards presentation ceremony will be held at Hsinchu City tomorrow. The event will be aired live on Astro AEC (Channel 301). The Red Carpet is at 6pm and the awards ceremony from 7pm onwards.